The board of Tallaght Hospital in Dublin is to be slimmed down in size and its existing charter replaced by way of new legislation as part of major changes to its governance arrangements.
As part of the reforms, the Government it to provide additional funding to the hospital which is currently facing a financial deficit of around €11 million.
However as part of the new arrangements, the pluralist values set out in the existing Tallaght hospital charter are to be retained in new legislation to be introduced by the Government.
Details of the changes to the hospital’s governance arrangements were set out tonight in a joint statement issued by its president, the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Michael Jackson, its board and the Minister for Health James Reilly.
The statement said the reforms to the governance structures at the hospital would take place in two phases.
A new interim board of the hospital is to be appointed imminently with a reduced membership.
In the longer term the existing hospital charter will be replaced by new legislation.
“The unique history of Tallaght Hospital, combining as it does (in the form of a charter) the identity of three separate foundations (the Meath Foundation, the Adelaide Hospital Society and the National Children's Hospital) has resulted in a governance structure which is ultimately no longer properly suited to the modern complexities of running an academic teaching hospital of such a scale,” the statement said.
It added that the changes were considered essential for on-going progress to be assured in the effective mangement of the hospital “in the manner that gives the greatest assurance that the patients get the best possible service from the available resources”.
Dr Reilly said tonight the voluntary status of Tallaght Hospital will remain in place under the new reforms and that its pluralist core values would stay in place in the new legislation.
“The values and principles of openness and inclusiveness in all aspects of healthcare provision, relating to medicine, nursing and research, shall be maintained by the president of the hospital as also will be the principles of pluralism, freedom of conscience and freedom to practise religion in the hospital.”
The statement said the agreement on the new arrangements followed intensive discussions involving the hospital board, the hospital president, the Minister, the Department of Health and the HSE since last August.
It said that the talks took place against the backdrop of a significant budgetary overrun at the hospital and the commencement of an investigation by the Health Information and Quality Authority into practices at its emergency department.